I immediately saw this challenge as another opportunity to play with my favourite embellishment of the moment - sequins! I stamped a fancy frame from Maya Road onto thick card in pool party ink and masked the edge so I could stamp the girl from TSG's "Egg-stra special" set into it. I coloured her with copics in teals to match my sequins and added a sentiment from the Maya Road set. Once dry I turned it over and stuck extra strong d/s tape around the edge and then carefully placed sequins evenly around to create my scalloped border. I added a couple of strips of matching washi tape down the edge of the card and then used pinflair glue to mount the sequin framed panel as pinflair glue behind the sequins helps to keep them in place and it gives a little dimension to the design.

Friday, 29 March 2013

This week's CASual Friday challenge is to make something for Easter but NOT a card so I thought I'd enter one of the butterflies I've made as Easter gifts this year. http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/cfc96.html I spotted them on pinterest a few weeks back but as I needed to make lots of gifts for boys, I tried to give them a masculine feel with darker colours and an added moustache!

I filled a 3 x 5 inch card bag with skittles but leaving a finger width gap at the top and sealed the open end. I pinched the middle to form the wings and wrapped a pipe cleaner around to hold it firm and taught with 2 twists so there was enough left over to form the antenna. The body is a clothes peg, covered with washi tape and a couple of googly eyes secured with glossy accents. The moustache comes from the Crafts Meow "Fun(tache)tic" set - stamped onto card and fussy cut and again secured with glossy accents. Very quick and easy to make but bright and cheery and lots of fun.

It's a top fold black card and I stamped and clear embossed the lines using my big Impression Obsession Random Lines stamp. I mounted some more black card stock onto some plain chipboard to give a little dimension and added Hi! which was die cut using an old sizzix alphabet from silver glitter sticky vinyl. I added a silver dotted border to provide some extra definition and picking up the details from the boots. I used hot pink sequins to suggest the skirt. I think it's quite a striking card and am really pleased with it unlike everything else I tried to make tonight which ended up in the bin!

I flipped it on it's side, dug out the "Oh Crop" set and came up with this punny little number ;-)

I stamped the adorable little cow image onto copic colouring card (I use a coated cardstock from Rymans) and coloured with warm greys and bisque and then fussy cut her out. The DP circles were cut from a double-sided 6x6 sheet from Papermania Happy Days pad - I love the vintage tins. I used some lovely washi tape to create a border around my kraft base by simply folding it in half over the edge. I added a sentiment made up of half a sentiment from the Ninja set and the really funny milk it sentiment from Oh crop. I finished with a few milk bottles stamped on white and fussy cut to emphasise the sentiment. I do love the punny and interesting sentiments TSG always include with their sets - great to mix and match with too.

I loved the rainbow of colour on the black background so chose to replicate those elements from the card, changing the shape and the swapping the circles for butterflies.

I masked off an area on the white card stock with washi tape and stamped 4 butterflies from Clearly Besotted's Butterfly Wishes Additions in 5 shades of memento ink - I would normally have done this in a standard rainbow pattern but I went for a more random approach following Ardyth's card. I originally intended for all the decoration to be flat but I messed up the embossed sentiment so stuck a strip over the top and embossed it again. I finished with a couple of die cut butterflies over the top using the matching die that you can now get with this set.

Can't wait to see the full gallery this week - should be an interesting one.

I used what is fast becoming one of my favourite new stamp sets (even if you haven't seen it on my blog before - I've used it for a few card submissions) the beautiful Many Thanks set from Clearly Besotted who are fast becoming one of my favourite stamp brands too - have you seen the sneaky peeks of what's coming? Be still my beating heart :-)

I decided to go for a dark maroon chalk board instead of the normal black and stamped the sentiment twice - firstly in versamark which I then heat embossed in white and then secondly I stamped over the embossed sentiment and just down and to the right with a pearl white ink to create a subtle shadow. I die cut and embossed the sentiment using labels 25 (I think but don't quote me on the number) and used a white pencil to trace the edge and the embossed centre line. I added a few more soft scribbles of pencil and blended them out with a stump to get the chalky effect. I used the same card to create my card base (it's actually a line embossed card so I used the rear for stamping on) and added a layer of DP from MME. I added a layer of blue to match the flowers and cut the end like a banner and stamped half of one of the other sentiments from the same set to the top. I framed this sentiment with a line of twine and a couple of tiny bows and stuck over hearts stamped from the same stamp set which were fussy cut.

Sunday, 24 March 2013

Thanks to the unseasonal snowfall in the last 48 hours, I've managed to catch up on all the homework I missed out on for this great class which really has given me a new insight into patterned paper. As I'd very much moved into CAS style card making I thought my patterned paper days were behind me - but oh no!

This first card uses Kristina's for using large patterns - cutting it into strips to divide it up a little. This is a glittered floral sheet from the 8x8 New Leaf pad. I selected a dotted pattern to match one of the flowers and a grey strip to stamp and emboss a hero arts sentiment onto.

This one is based on the brilliant idea by Laura Bassen to stamp strips over die cuts over gently patterned paper. I die cut happy on my cameo and stamped 3 stripes of green over the temporarily adhered letters. Once removed I stamped the "wishing you" which is from a Hero Arts Christmas stamp set and the "birthday" from a PTI set over the top in black.

This one uses Kristina's "rules" of mixing patterns of big + medium + small/solid. This was a light bulb moment for me which made me realise why lots of my previous attempts to mix papers were disastrous! I'm putting this rule on my wall as a permanent reminder......

This one was based on the lesson by the Queen of CAS - Debby Hughes - I loved her card so this is my case of it. I used washi tape as my "paper" here but the principles are the same - I just wanted a multi-stripe and couldn't find a nice bright one in my stash (shopping trip required despite my huge stash of paper - Jennifer did say we had to hoard stripes so that sounds like an order lol!)

This one was actually my first attempt at stamping stripes over die cuts but my colour choices were WAAAAYYYY off. So instead of binning it, I just covered it up, again using the size rules for mixing papers. The floral strip is from my stash box as are the solids. I added a new sentiment from SU - I love their paired sentiments and a striped stamped heart from Clearly Besotted.

Wow - I did make a lot of cards, no wonder the ironing pile is touching the ceiling ;-)

Saturday, 23 March 2013

Sorry I'm back again so quickly but I thought I'd missed the deadline for this week's MUSE challenge and then I popped over to vote and realised it was still open so I managed to make the card I'd planned when I saw it but didn't feel well.

I loved the idea of stamping over stripes, but given the pattern play class I've been playing along with, I decided to use a couple of double-sided papers from First Edition Papers New Leaf 8x8 stack and I thought the colours lent themselves to an anniversary card so I changed the sentiment to suit. I stuck with the idea of a flower though but embossed the big flower from Stampin Up's Betsy's Blossoms set in white and scattered a few pearls around as embellishments. The photo's not great - poor light today with the constant snow, but irl it's really soft and delicate, my favourite make of the day.

Not that you can tell from the view from my craft room window today but next weekend we put the clocks forward and British SUMMER Time begins - really???? The 6 inches we've got says otherwise! My mother, who lives on one of Sheffield's 7 hills (we're in the valley) has about 14 inches so winter looks like it's set in for a while yet....

So, what else to do but stay warm in the craft room and have a good old play :-)

But, regardless of the weather, Easter is coming and I needed some more cards so I used the Monday Mood Board at WPlus9 this week as my inspiration and made a little card.

I used one of their lovely littler banner stamps and inked it simply with yellow and orange ink and used a momento pen to ink the string in between. I then used stamps from the new Good Egg set from Waltzingmouse for the remaining elements of my card with the same inks. Quick one layers ready to repeat in a few colours for all the cards I need to send.

I'm playing with paper again today - following Betsy Veldman's tips to create your own floral embellishments from patterned paper. - although I haven't been quite as elaborate as she was with her layers and stitching.

I started with some fussy cutting from a sheet of 8x8 paper from the Citrus Stack from DCWV which has lots of lovely glittered flowers and leaves. I layered them with pinflair glue for dimension and added gems to the centres. I stuck them to a piece of white card embossed with the PTI hessian plate for some subtle texture and then popped leaves cut from the same sheet of paper around the flowers and added some bicone beads to be flower buds. My sentiment is cut using lobster font on my cameo from copic colouring card which I then coloured with cadmium red and chrome orange copics to give a blended look to match the flowers.

Friday, 22 March 2013

I've been watching all the videos for the wonderful Pattern Play Online Card Class all week feeling excited to play with paper but frustrated that I haven't felt well enough to play, only watch, so now I'm finally feeling up to sitting up again I've tried to make up for lost time! I have far tooooo many packs of patterned paper and have been very guilty of not wanting to use them cos once they've been used they're gone but using it not hoarding it was one of my goals for this year so this class was the PERFECT kick in the butt I needed to get started!

I selected a few co-ordinating scraps from my scrap box and stamped the cassette design from a We R Memory Keepers mini stamp set 4 times and fussy cut them. I arranged them on the bottom of the card and then carefully cut apart the sentiment in the set so I could stamp it more interestingly than just in a straight line. I love this stamp set - reminds me of making tapes from the top 40 in my bedroom in the 80s......

I then skipped straight to today's lesson as I was really taken by the paper quilting technique Kristina taught us - however, I had to have a couple of attempts as I missed a bit of the instructions and didn't get all my pieces in the right direction first time around (still make a cute useable paper though)

I decided to make a belated birthday card for my stash box and went with the super-cute skunk from There She Goes "Scent-sational" set and coloured him with copics. I used a "paws" embossing folder (not sure of the brand sorry) and used a copic to match the background of the sentiment to his paper-pieced tie. I'm going to enter this into this week's anything goes challenge at the TSG blog http://tsgclearstamps.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/tsg199-anything-goes.html

Given the fact that we're forecast another deluge of snow overnight I should have time to play some more tomorrow.

I used the gorgeous new folk art frame and embossed it in white onto some watercolour card. I covered the whole thing with lime green luminarte paint and then picked out some leaf and flower details with other shades of the same paints and some stickles. I made my sentiment from Woodenheart Alphabet and then by carefully just inking the b and e from "best" in Compact Sentiments. Some matting and layering and a little gingham to add a bit more green to this party and we're done.

Saturday, 16 March 2013

I'm working on submissions again today - deadline Monday and we're out tonight celebrating my friends 50th again so I've got to start to try to make myself presentable too - which all in all means I shouldn't be playing in this week's LIM challenge yet.......

I used part of one stamp from one of my favourite stamp ranges ever - the Uptown Girls from Stamping Bella and this one is Vienna on her Vespa but I masked off some of the Vespa so I could fit her into a Polaroid style frame (cut on my cameo). She is coloured with copics and then I added the sentiment onto the bottom part of the Polaroid frame. I added a second thin green frame which was again cut on my cameo to add a little more interest to the edge of the card.

There's been an awful lot of pink on my blog this week - which is really not one of my normal go to colours, so I thought it was about time we got back into my green and blue comfort zone and today is all about the green.....

Contrary to popular belief (and according to my DH who is a Japanophile) Ninja's never wore black, just dark colours so colouring this little fella green isn't as daft as it seems! I coloured him with copics, added come glitter to his cupcake frosting and stamped the gift onto DP before colouring the ribbon with copics again for depth. It's actually for a birthday tomorrow but I'm pretty sure the recipient doesn't look at my blog so we're safe to post it without spoiling the surprise.

The challenge at There She Goes which is the company that makes the two stamp sets I've used here is to use shades of green http://tsgclearstamps.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/tsg198-color-challenge.html and was the inspiration for the card. However, with it being so close to the day the world turns green (St Patrick's if you don't know) there are quite a few other challenges that also want to see green so I'm entering into the following challenges as well:

I inked up the delectable Lana and coloured her with copics, pencils and shimmer paints on her dress and shoes. Fussy cut and mounted onto a nestie shape embossed with a sizzix folder for some added luxury in the form of texture. I added a strip of washi onto a white panel, added a suitable sentiment and a few hand drawn lines around the shape to tie it all together and she's ready to be papped on the red carpet!

I made some little 3 x 3 Easter cards using A Good Egg and Folk Art Medallion - I think I should have used a different colour to the teal as it makes it feel a bit cold and not very "spring" - just like the current UK weather lol! I love the little matching bunnies in this set - well all the matching animals they are really cute.

Tuesday, 12 March 2013

Now normally - I play along with Less is More every Saturday morning - or by that evening at the latest - but this week I am very late to the party as I spent Saturday throwing a surprise tea party for my friend's birthday. I'm finally joining in with my one layer card featuring spots and stripes and sharing some photos from the party as I've been giving my cameo a good workout making decorations for it!

I used a couple of Hero Arts sentiments stamped in black and then added some floating balloons using mama elephant stamps with distress inks but there was only a spotted one so I added the stripes with a tiny line stamp. I hand drew the strings.
If you're interested - then this is what has been keeping me busy....

I've spent the last few weekends scouring antique centres looking for this china - isn't it pretty? It's from the 1950's and is by Royal Stuart Spencer Stevenson - in their harlequin range so lots of pretty mixed colours. I have everything except a milk jug but I hope to find one soon! I got the antique linen on ebay. I made little teabag shaped party favours and teapot shaped menus using the silhouette cameo machine (I really don't know what I did without this great machine)

I used the same teapot shape and added a cup to make a mobile and matching wall hangings - I got all 3 from just 4 sheets of 12 x12 paper with a bit of cotton and ribbon.

I made a couple of word banners - one tea party - and one saying Happy Fiftieth Birthday Maria (awful photo as it was over the window) - the cupcake embroidery was gift for my fortieth from another friend but it fit the them so stayed put.

I went to sewing class at The Craft Den last weekend and made this lovely cup themed bunting. I'm not known for my sewing machine skills so needed lots of help from Lynne to get it sorted but I love the finished results. (I bought the posters)

The final handmade element was a rainbow of tissue paper flowers to decorate the fireplace - simply made with folded sheets of tissue die cut with a large scalloped circle die, stapling the centre and patiently peeling and scrunching the layers.

And a final shot of all us of in our posh frocks before we poured the tea and tucked into all the finger food. (I'm far right front, the birthday girl is far left seated)

I stamped the embroidered blooms in purple and lilac and fussy cut adding black liquid pearls to the centre. I stamped the leaves a few times in two shades of green and fussy cut again (wish I'd got the matching die now!) I stamped one of the ribbons from ribbons and bows in lilac onto a white panel and then arranged the fussy cut elements on top. I added my favourite Mother's Day sentiment (Crafts Meow Parents) in purple and finished with a few lilac gems and a matching lilac mat before mounting onto a 7 x5 white base card.

I was really pleased with the results on this one - the embroidered detail on the flowers is so pretty and the sender was pleased with this card - hope his Mum is too!

I used a couple of stitched stamp sets from Crafts Meow - Stitched Flowers and Stitched Sentiments for this card and just two shades of ink - Momento Dandelion and Grey Flannel. I used the single stitched leaf stamp to create a repeat background pattern taking inspiration from the quilt and then I inked the edges of the panel with the dandelion to add some brightness. I stamped and embossed the stitched sentiment onto some grey cardstock and mounted it onto some yellow embossed dot card. I stamped a button flower from the flower set and coloured it with pencils adding a white button coloured grey with a copic to the centre. I stamped the two leaf sprays again in grey and coloured with a copic to finish. If only I could find this inspiration in every photo challenge!

For this first card I opted for the daffodil (although I think I used the tulip leaf!) and I die cut and decoupaged the flower and leaves using the solid and outline stamps together. I stamped the jar onto the card and shaded lightly before adding the flower on top and finishing with another jar die cut from acetate. The sentiment is from the Crafts Meow. I added some yellow washi for a pop of spring brightness.

For the second card I suspect I used the daffodil leaves with the tulip heads! Anyhow, this time I stamped them direct to the card except for the middle one which is cut using the die so I could position it lower on the stem. The jar was stamped over and coloured with copics before adding glossy accents and glitter. The sentiment is another from the same set by Crafts Meow. As this one has the added sparkle, I'm also entering it into this weeks cupcake craft challenge http://cupcakecraftchallenges.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/cupcake-232-sparkle.html

I stamped the same floral image in orange, yellow and two shades of pink (from a retired Elzybells set but the images in the set Stephanie used are very similar by the same artist now working for Penny Black) and then I stamped the greeting from Stephanie's own stamps (Happy Everything) over the top in black. I trimmed the panel and then mounted onto a card. Simples.

About Me

Hi - I'm Tara a food and craft obsessive who like a magpie is drawn to all things that sparkle! I am now living my crafting dream and own my own online craft supply store Make the Day Special Stamp Store which specialises in importing hard to source US craft brands.